The Year of Oil

In case you didn’t know, today is the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon rig blowout that caused the worst oil spill in US history. This disaster resulted in BP winning Consumerist’s Worst Company in America award, beating out perennial favorite, Bank of America.

Rather than addressing the situation and risky behavior, Transocean, Ltd., owner of the infamous rig, rewarded its executives for what they claim was the best year in terms of safety performance. Meanwhile, BP has “yet to fulfill its financial and legal obligations.”

So what has happened in the one year since the Gulf of Mexico was inundated with so much oil?

Well, you can read here about how the oil spill has devastated the economy and livelihood of fishermen in Mobile, Alabama.

Or you can read here about the devastating impact the oil spill has had on wildlife and the resulting effects of the chemical dispersants, which are “four times more toxic than the oil.”

If that’s not enough, you can read here about the “many human deaths” as a result of the oil spill.

Although, he wasn’t killed a result of the oil, Gordon Jones was one of the 11 workers who died aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig. His father talks about how BP, Haliburton and Transocean “peeled back layer after layer after layer of safety precautions,” which ultimately increased the risk aboard the rig.

So on this one-year anniversary, I would like to congratulate BP and Transocean for creating the worst oil spill, perhaps worst environmental disaster, in US history. These companies continue to evade justice, engage in risky behavior and avoid any true consequences of their actions. We’ll have to wait to see if things change next year.